Author's Note: This little piece has been floating around in my head for months and I've finally gotten around to posting. Set more in the movie-verse than the book-verse primarily so I could use Effie as a character. Expect one to three more chapters. I hope you enjoy and, as always, I do not own the Hunger Games franchise.


"…any memories you can think of that the Capitol wouldn't have seen or heard about. Nothing they could have manipulated for him," Plutarch explained.

"Does anyone really think this could help?" Haymitch drawled. "The boy didn't just hit his head and lose his memories. He has them, they're just fu˗"

"That's enough Mr. Abernathy," President Coin interrupted. "But he did start with a valid question Plutarch. Is there any chance this will help restore Peeta Mellark? Or is this yet another waste of our time and energy?"

The complete lack of any emotion but disdain in the president's voice broke Katniss from her stupor. "Of course Peeta is worth it. He's a victim, not a traitor. And he deserves our help."

"The girl's got a point," Plutarch agreed. "Having the Mockingjay working with us has increased our support significantly. If we get Peeta back to his old self, have him tell the people what Snow did to him, and then stand with her holding hands like they did during their tribute parades? We'll have Capitol citizens painting Mockingjay symbols on whatever they can get their faces."

"Fine," Coin said as she shuffled her papers around and stacked them into a neater pile. "You have forty-eight hours and then his care will be left up to the District Thirteen Healers."

And then she left, her advisers trailing behind her.

Haymitch sighed and Katniss looked over at him. "Alright sweetheart. Let's gather the team."

Twenty minutes later Katniss found herself in a room with her mother and sister, Gale, Haymitch, Effie, Beetee, Finnick, and Johanna. And Peeta himself was just on the other side of a two way mirror, his wrists handcuffed to the table he was seated at.

"Let's brainstorm ideas. Memories we can jolt Peeta with."

Haymitch was standing at the front of the room, ready to play with the technology he'd used to brainstorm ideas for the Mockingjay propos.

"I sat with the Mellark boys a few times at lunch to help Peeta's brother Ryson with schoolwork," Prim offered. "I never talked to Peeta much but we would always say hello."

"That's not anything life changing but it's a start," Haymitch said as he scribbled 'school lunches' on the board. "Anyone else?"

"Why are any of us Victors here?" Johanna spoke up. "We only know Peeta through the games so all of our interactions were televised. And for that matter Katniss doesn't need to be here either."

"I whispered something to him once and I doubt any of the microphones picked up on it," Finnick offered.

"What…what did you say to him?" Katniss asked, wanting the conversation to steer away from her usefulness.

"I just told him that you didn't want any of my sugar cubes and told him that he had horrible luck. You know, since he'd finally got the girl and then he had to go into the games again."

Haymitch cleared his throat. "Okay, let's not remind the boy of things that might make him angry or suicidal."

Katniss's mother finally made a suggestion. "I treated all the Mellark boys for coughs, colds and burns as they were growing up."

Haymitch didn't even bother to write that down, he just immediately turned to Boggs who had been told to stay with the group and keep an eye on the patient. "Go ahead and take her in to see him. So far she's our best chance."

Mrs. Everdeen shot her daughter a hopeful look and left the room only to appear on the other side of the glass a minute later. Confusion and anger warred on Peeta's face, still too thin and bruised, but he didn't yell or scream.

He flinched at the first mention of his brothers but otherwise didn't react to what Mrs. Everdeen was telling him.

Haymitch sighed and turned down the volume of the microphones in Peeta's room until they could barely hear Mrs. Everdeen's voice. "We need more. Something bigger and better. I know this is a long shot but is there anything you could tell him Katniss? Anything that didn't happen during the games or interviews or training sessions?"

"Is there any place that wasn't filmed during the Victory Tour?" Gale asked. "Or the Tribute Center?"

Effie pursed her lips and shook her head. "I didn't find out until later but there was no where safe on the train! Even the bathrooms were monitored! So you best believe I made sure there was none of that at the Tribute Center the second time around!"

Katniss turned her head so fast that pain flared up her neck but she barely noticed. "The bathrooms and bedrooms there weren't monitored? You're sure of it?"

Effie and Haymitch shared a look and Haymitch nodded. "As far as we know. Why?"

Katniss didn't answer the question, she just stared at Effie. "Were…were any of Cinna's designs saved?"

Effie smiled at the mention. "I brought as much as I could with me. They only let me keep as much as I can store in the cell they call a bedroom but I have quite a bit."

"The Mockingjay dress?"

Everyone fell silent. "You mean the wedding dress Snow chose for you? I really don't think that's the best idea sweetheart," Haymitch pointed out.

Katniss shook her head, her gaze never leaving Effie's face. "Was it put back in its original box?"

"Cinna did it. Right before he went to see you off," Effie whispered. "And I have the box in my room."

Katniss's stomach roiled. "Bring it here. There's something I need to check."

As soon as Effie was out the door Haymitch sighed and took his seat. "Are you trying to drive Peeta even more insane or are you trying to get yourself killed? Both might happen if you show up in his room wearing the wedding dress that sparked a revolution!"

"This isn't about the dress Haymitch," Katniss said. And then she refused to say anything else until Effie walked in the door carrying a box she could barely hold.

"What's in there, woman? That thing is big enough to fit a small child or a litter of puppies!" Haymitch crowed.

Effie slid it onto the table in front of Katniss and then straightened her head wrap which had gone slightly askew. "You saw the dress in person so you knew how much space it would take up. You should have gone upstairs with me and carried it down, you big oaf."

Katniss didn't pay any attention to the banter of her former mentor and escort. Instead she gently slid the lid off the box and smiled when she saw the edge of the white silk garment bag peeking out from underneath the feathery black dress.

Then the door opened, her mom escorted back into the room by Boggs and Katniss caught his eye. "Is there somewhere I can change?"

"She's not listening to me. Why isn't she listening to me?" Haymitch muttured.

"I don't know but now I'm really curious," Johanna said, her eyes narrowing when Katniss left, not with the dress, but with a small garment bag in her hand and Prim right beside her.